Improvement in gates



D.M. COCHRAN & L. M. HAWKINS.

4 Improvement in Gates.

N0. 115,167. v Patented May 23,1871

Umrn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID M. cocnniin= AND LINDLEY A, HAWKINS, or RICHMOND, inc -A A.

" IMPROVEMENT IN GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,165, dated May 23,1871.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, DAVE) M. GOOHRAN and LINDLEY A. HAWKINS, both ofRichmond, in the county of Wayne and State of Indiana, have invented acertain Improvement in Farm- Gates; and we do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the annexed drawing making part of this Specification, inwhich- Figure lis a perspective view of the improved gate. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section to show the construction of the upper hinge.

The same letters are used in both figures in the designation ofidentical parts.

This invention relates to farm-gates so constructed as to enable aperson riding in a wagon or carriage to open and close them withoutdismounting; and the improvement consists in the novel arrangement ofsome of the parts, to be generally explained in the followingdescription and specifically pointed out in the claim.

The gate A, when closed, stands across the road between two. posts, Band (J, to the former of which it is hinged, while it is latched to thelatter. In this position its weight is supported upon the lower hinge aand the catch a on the post 0, which catch retains the latch a, which isrigidly secured to the outer stile of the gate. In this manner, therebeing no weight thrown upon the upper hinge, the sagging of the gate iseffectually prevented. The lower hinge should be so made that the pintlemay have a little play in the socket or eyebolt. The upper hingeconsists of two vertical pintles, D and D one of which is secured by alaterally-projecting spike to the stile of. the gate,-and the other insimilar manner to the post B, and which are linked together by a plate,D in form substantially as shown best in Fig. 2. When the gate is closedthe side dot the plate or link is in contact with the post, and thecontiguous side d diverges therefrom at such an angle as to allow theplate to be turned on the pintle D to draw the upper end of the gatetoward the post, and thus tilt the gate upon its lower hinge until itouter end is lifted so highthat the fixed latch clears the catch. Theside (1 then coming in contact with the post further movement of thelink is prevented, and it will remain in this position if the gate bethrown open all the way and latched to the side post G.

It will be observed that the apertures in the plate or link are soarranged as not to stand in a line with the gate when thus opened, butthat the one through which the pintle on the post passes stands a littledistance to one side of such line, and on the outside thereof, in orderto obtain a leverage upon the link for the purpose of turning it to tiltthe gate, even if the power be applied in a direct line with the latter.I

The gate is arranged to open in one direc tion only, and is operatedfrom either side by levers E and F, the former being pivoted to a post,E and connected with the gate by means of a connecting rod, E while thelat ter is pivoted on a post, F on the other side of the gate, andconnected therewith by a connecting-rod, F Between the gate-postB andthe post F stands another post, Gr, already alluded to, provided with acatch, 9, which is entered by the latch of the gate when swung open allthe way. The rods E and F are at tached to a stud, A, upon the upper endof the inner stile of the gate, so that the movements of the latter areentirely under the control of the person operating the levers, inconsequence of which the gate may be opened to any extent desired; andit can be operated upon inclines and against strong winds, as it'doesnot depend at all upon gravity to open and shut.

We use, by preference, a metallic cap, placed upon the inner stile ofthe gate, and having the pin A cast upon it on one side, as far from thepintles on which the gate turns as conven ient to obtain the necessaryleverage on the gate.

In operating either one of the levers to open or shut the gate thelatter is first caused to turn, together with the plate or link D aroundthe pintle D of the post B, tilting the gate on the lower hinge so as toraise its latch out of the catches a or g, as the case may be, afterwhich it will readily swing open to any point and remain in anyposition, as the plate D, on

releasing the levers, at once accommodates it self to the position ofthe gate.

'We are aware that gates of this class have been operated by means ofthe levers and connecting-rods attached to the gate directly, or

to a fixed arm thereof, so that the movement of the gate can becontrolled by the levers; but such gates have always been hung uponcommon hinges, so that it became necessary to employ a mechanism to liftthe latch out of the keeper. 7

Our invention differs from these gates in dispensing with thislatch-lifting mechanism and using a link-hinge on top for tilting thegate so as to raise its fixed latch out of the catch before it opens orcloses.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

